Overstocked: Alberta cattle feeders backed up after temporary closure of meat-processing plant

‘40,000 animals ... held on feeding operations. That's the kind of backlog we're looking at’

Travis McEwan · CBC News · Posted: May 04, 2020 8:20 AM MT

Todd Wagner, owner of Fieldstone Feeders, stands near some of the 3,000 cattle he feeds on his property south of Stony Plain, Alta. (Travis McEwan/CBC)

Alberta's cattle feeders are getting a first-hand look at what happens when the industry supply chain is disrupted — and what they're seeing is a growing food bill with too many animals remaining on their properties.

Todd Wagner owns Fieldstone Feeders in Stony Plain, Alta., about 40 kilometres west of Edmonton.

He raises almost 3,000 cattle for a farmer in Lethbridge, Alta. When the animals are ready for slaughter, Wagner ships them south.

But the temporary shutdown of one of Canada's largest meat-processing plants means the Lethbridge farmer isn't accepting cattle, which has led to a backlog on Wagner's farm.

"They're getting backed up with fat cattle that they're not able to get processed and that's backing us up in sending cattle to him," Wagner said. "It's just kind of backing up the supply chain."

A combine rolls across Todd Wagner's field, as remaining crops from 2019 are being harvested. (Travis McEwan/CBC)

It's an issue happening across Alberta.

The Cargill meat-processing plant in High River, Alta., was temporarily closed April 20 after a major COVID-19 outbreak among its employees.

As of Saturday afternoon, 917 Cargill employees had tested positive for the disease, including a worker in her 60s who died. The plant reopened Monday despite strong concerns from the union.

"That plant would process 4,000, 4,500 animals a day. So, that's over 20,000 animals a week," said Rich Smith, executive director of Alberta Beef Producers.

"You take that plant out of operation for two weeks, now there's 40,000 animals that should have gone for processing that have been held on feeding operations," Smith said.

"That's the kind of backlog we're looking at."
Cattle feeders across Alberta affected

The producers who will be affected most are those who are still feeding cattle that are ready to be slaughtered and processed.

"There is absolutely more feed costs. They will keep feeding those animals," Smith said. "They're feeding them lower energy diets so that the animals aren't growing quickly because they're going to have to hold them longer."

When cattle at Fieldstone Feeders weigh close to 450 kilograms, or about 1,000 pounds, they're sent to southern Alberta before going to a meat-processing plant. (Travis McEwan/CBC)

There are price insurance programs for beef producers but premiums have become unaffordable, Smith said.

"Governments already offset premiums of ailing crop insurance and we'd like to see them do that for cattle producers," he said.

Rich Smith, executive director of Alberta Beef Producers, says cattle feeders are seeing increased feed costs as a result of the temporary closure of the Cargill meat-processing plant near High River, Alta. (Submitted by Rich Smith)

Wagner said that he will keep feeding the cattle on his property and prepare for his fields for the upcoming growing season.

He said he'll stay focused, adapt and hope for the best.

"I hope it levels out for us. People need to eat," he said. "That's our business. We're going to carry on with that."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Travis McEwan
Videojournalist
Travis McEwan is a video journalist, who has not won any awards. Originally from Churchill, Manitoba, he's spent the last decade working at CBC Edmonton. Email story ideas to travis.mcewan@cbc.ca

Coronavirus: What closures and restrictions on Canada’s 2 largest meat packing plants means for the cattle industry

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO
https://globalnews.ca/video/rd/dc20a3f6-85b5-11ea-a3f2-0242ac110006/?jwsource=cl

Alberta produces more than 70 per cent of Canada’s beef. Now, with its two largest facilities impacted by more than 500 cases of COVID-19, the industry isn’t receiving the success 2020 initially had in store. Eloise Therien reports.

• 2 employees of Mountain View Poultry plant in Okotoks test positive for novel coronavirus

BACKGROUNDER
2 Alberta meat plants affected by COVID-19 make up 70% of Canada’s beef processing capabilities

BY ALEKSANDRA SAGAN THE CANADIAN PRESS April 23, 2020

WATCH ABOVE:

https://globalnews.ca/video/rd/dc20a3f6-85b5-11ea-a3f2-0242ac110006/?jwsource=cl

 Alberta produces more than 70 per cent of Canada’s beef. Now, with its two largest facilities impacted by more than 500 cases of COVID-19, the industry isn’t receiving the success 2020 initially had in store. Eloise Therien reports.

The temporary closure of an Alberta meat processing facility due to a COVID-19 outbreak isn’t expected to result in beef shortages, but the reduction in capacity will mean that ranchers will bear the brunt as their costs rise and prices for their product fall.

Cargill Inc.’s High River, Alta., plant temporarily shuttered operations Monday after a worker died from the coronavirus and hundreds of other employees tested positive.

Meanwhile, a second plant — JBS plant in Brooks, Alta. — recorded 96 cases as of Wednesday. It has reduced operations, according to the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, which represents the 60,000 beef farms and feedlots in the country.

The CCA says it is trying to ensure the facility remains open, though a union representing federal meat inspectors says it’s a matter of time before it is forced to temporarily halt production.

LISTEN BELOW: Dr. Mike von Massow, associate professor – Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics Department at The University of Guelph

These two facilities make up 70 per cent of Canada’s beef processing capabilities, according to the CCA.

Occupational Health and Safety is conducting investigations looking into “potential exposure of workers” to the novel coronavirus at both the Cargill and JBS plants.

Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw confirmed Wednesday one JBS worker had died but the cause of death is not known. It is not known to be a case of COVID-19, she said, so an investigation is taking place to determine the cause.

Alone, the Cargill plant processes some 4,500 head of cattle daily or more than one-third of the country’s total beef-processing capacity.

With the Cargill closure and JBS’s reduction, Canada has likely seen a reduction of nearly 40 per cent in its processing capacity, said Mike von Massow, an associate professor in the food, agricultural and resource economics department at The University of Guelph.

However, shoppers aren’t likely to see empty freezers in the grocery store meat section any time soon.

“In the short run, I don’t think we as consumers will see any tangible difference,” he said

The prime minister echoed that message Tuesday, reassuring Canadians they would continue to find beef products on grocery shelves.

“We are not at this point anticipating shortages of beef, but prices might go up,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his daily update on the coronavirus pandemic.

“We will of course be monitoring that very, very carefully.”

https://globalnews.ca/video/rd/cc388ff8-84ed-11ea-8c0d-0242ac110002/?jwsource=cl

COVID-19: Brooks mayor responds to skyrocketing confirmed cases, meat plant concerns

Beef producers and associations have said they will prioritize ensuring Canadian supply before exports, he said.

Canada exports about 45 per cent of its beef and cattle production annually, according to the national association, and ships to 56 countries, with the U.S. receiving 74 per cent of beef exports.

The closure is expected to be brief.

It’s likely the Cargill plant will be closed for about two weeks — the duration of the virus’s incubation period, said von Massow. That’s roughly how long the temporary closure of a pork processing plant in Quebec lasted.

Olymel announced March 29 it would temporarily close its hog slaughter and cutting plant in Yamachiche, Que., for 14 days after nine plant employees tested positive for COVID-19. The closure gave employees the time to self-isolate at the recommendation of the public health department. The plant resumed operations on April 14.

A two-week closure allows staff to self-isolate to prevent further spread, deep clean a facility and implement any other measures to help physical distancing after reopening, said von Massow.

During a closure, inventories can be diverted and processing capacity can be increased at other facilities to avoid a shortage, he said. It would take months-long closures, as well as multiple plants shuttering to create a possible shortage.

Ranchers, though, are likely to suffer even from these short-term closures, he said.

If they have to send their cattle further for processing, transportation costs rise and that will come out of the price they’re paid for their product. If they decide to hang on to their animals longer, they’ll face increased overhead costs, like feed, said von Massow

In the past week, ranchers have seen a nearly 30 per cent drop in price, said Dennis Laycraft, executive vice president at CCA.

The group’s economic scenarios project the industry could lose more than $500 million in revenue by the end of June. It is calling for immediate government action.

That includes improving the availability of cash advances, said Laycraft.

“It’s not easy to deal with lenders when the value of your product is falling sharply and no one’s really sure what it’ll be worth in that environment.”

The group also wants price insurance program premiums brought back down to normal levels, he said.

“For young and newer producers that have more debt, that’s a pretty important thing.”

Workers return to Alberta meat plant despite union's effort to block reopening amid COVID-19JASON KENNEY  MEATPACKERS TRUMP MINI ME
Cargill plant south of Calgary is site of largest coronavirus outbreak in Canada

CBC News · Posted: May 04, 2020
 

UFCW Local 401 president Thomas Hesse says he's disappointed that efforts to stop the reopening of Cargill's southern Alberta meat processing plant failed.

 (Dan McGarvey/CBC)
The union for workers at a southern Alberta meat beef-packing plant that has been the site of the largest single COVID-19 outbreak in Canada says it has been unable to stop the facility from reopening on Monday.

There have been 921 cases of the virus at the Cargill plant south of Calgary, which has 2,000 workers. One worker in her 60s died, and her husband was hospitalized with the illness.

Cargill announced April 20 it was temporarily shutting down operations for two weeks at the plant, which provides about 40 per cent of the beef processing in Canada.

It said earlier this week that one shift would resume work on Monday with bolstered safety measures.

Union representatives, company officials and members of the media were on hand Monday as the Cargill meat processing plant in High River, Alta., reopened after being closed for about two weeks because of a COVID-19 outbreak. (Dan McGarvey/CBC)

Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw has said Alberta Health Services officials have done on-site inspections and have been assured the facility is safe.

But Thomas Hesse with the United Food and Commercial Workers union Local 401 said workers are scared, and the local tried to get a stop-work order from Alberta Occupational Health and Safety.

On Monday, he said that effort had so far failed, but that negotiations were ongoing.

"Unfortunately, the situation has not been resolved. At this moment, we have been unable to convince any government or legal authority to have the courage to step in and ensure the plant remains closed until safety is assured. Our lawyers are looking at new strategies," Hesse said on the union's website.

Speaking to reporters Monday outside the facility where he and other union members were on hand to greet workers as they arrived, Hesse said it appeared many employees are staying away.

CARGILL SWEAT SHOP

BEFORE

AFTER

 

Cargill says it has added several safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including these barriers between work stations at its High River plant. (Cargill)

"I have no doubt that it's going to be very slow. People are scared, they're not coming to work. It's a problem for everyone. It's a problem for ranchers, it's a problem for consumers, it's a problem for workers," he said.

"And Cargill needs to fix this, and they need to fix it now."

The union held a rally on the edge of the property and handed out black face masks emblazoned with "Safety First" to anyone who needed them.

A statement from Cargill said all employees who are "healthy and eligible to work" have been asked to report for work for the plant's two shifts.

"According to health officials, the majority of our employees remain healthy or have recovered. We are grateful for our workers' dedication and resilience as our plant and community walks through this heart-wrenching pandemic," said the statement.

On its website, the union told its members: "If you are healthy and have been called and cleared to return to work, you should report to your supervisor. "If you don't really think it is safe to work, then don't."

85% of workers afraid to return as Alberta meat plant preps to reopen after COVID-19 outbreak, union says
The union surveyed more than 600 workers in four languages over the weekend; 85 per cent reported they are afraid to return to work, and 80 per cent said they did not want the plant to reopen Monday.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Cargill said representatives with AHS and OHS reviewed the safety measures at the facility and supported reopening.
Health officials at plant

The company said protective barriers have been installed on the production floor to allow for more spacing between employees and face shields have been introduced in places where protective barriers are not possible.

Cargill also said provincial health officials would be at the plant for Monday's reopening.

Union representatives wave at a shuttle bus carrying workers returning to the Cargill beef processing plant in High River, Alta., that was closed for two weeks because of COVID-19. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

"Alberta Health Services will be on-site and we will conduct our ongoing screening to safeguard employees and ensure no one exhibiting symptoms enters the facility."

Cargill is limiting plant access to no more than two people per car, one in the front and one in the back. It is also providing buses with protective barriers to reduce the need for carpooling.

Barriers have also been added in bathrooms and lockers have been reassigned to allow for enough spacing.

But Hesse says the union isn't satisfied. Its two priorities are the provision of better protective gear and the institution of regular, ongoing health and safety meetings between workers and company officials.

"It's ridiculous that hundreds of workers can be required to pour into the plant to kill 4,000 to 5,000 cattle a day, while if you climb on the monkey bars in your local park you're going to get a ticket," he said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked about the situation at Cargill as he spoke to the media at his regular briefing Monday morning.

"We're working with provinces across the country to ensure that the supply chain for agriculture continues and that worker safety is upheld," he said.


"That is a provincial area of responsibility, but the federal government has a role to play as well, particularly ensuring that there are adequate safeguards and [personal protective equipment] in place."

With files from The Canadian Press and Sarah Rieger

Cargill meat-packing plant in High River, Alta., reopens amid ongoing talks with union

BY KAYLEN SMALL , ADAM MACVICAR AND MELISSA GILLIGAN 

GLOBAL NEWS Updated May 4, 2020 

https://globalnews.ca/video/rd/131020b8-8e34-11ea-ae19-0242ac110005/?jwsource=cl
WATCH: Monday was Day 1 for Cargill's plan to reopen the meat processing plant near High River. As Doug Vaessen reports, the union representing workers was out in full force, protesting the move and demanding the plant stay closed until it's convinced it's safe for workers.

The Cargill meat-packing plant in High River, Alta., has reopened as discussions continue between the company and the union representing its employees.

The plant closed temporarily on April 20 due to an outbreak of COVID-19, and reopened on Monday with health measures like temperature checks, mandatory face masks and other protective equipment, enhanced sanitizing and increased physical distancing.

READ MORE: Legal action launched to stop Monday opening of Cargill meat plant in High River

On Friday, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 401 — the union representing Cargill workers — filed legal action to stop the planned reopening.

Both sides have been in mediation since Saturday, and those talks continued Sunday evening.

As of Sunday, Alberta Health said there are 935 cases of COVID-19 among workers at the Cargill plant in High River and 1,538 cases that have been linked to the facility.


Union representing Cargill workers speaks amid ongoing discussions
https://globalnews.ca/video/rd/ac1e2674-8e07-11ea-891f-0242ac110003/?jwsource=cl

READ MORE: NDP demands inquiry into Alberta meat plant COVID-19 protocols as Cargill plans reopening

In a statement to Global News, Cargill said that the safety of its employees is its “top priority” and it is “engaging in good faith” with the union.

Cargill said that Alberta Health Services and Occupational Health and Safety have reviewed its safety measures and support its reopening.

“We care about our employees and are working around the clock to keep them safe, deliver food for local families and provide market access for ranchers,” Cargill said.


READ MORE: Alberta meat plant should slow production to avoid more COVID-19 outbreaks: union head
Cargill had said on Sunday it was not planning on publicly sharing if it would open on Monday as mediation continued.

However, speaking to Global News Morning Calgary on Monday at 6 a.m., UFCW Local 401 president Thomas Hesse said shifts were set to begin that morning but that many employees wouldn’t be returning.

“In Alberta, each individual worker has the right to refuse work that they reasonably believe to be dangerous,” Hesse explained. “Workers aren’t showing up to work, and there’s no surprise in that. Unless Cargill cleans up their act, people aren’t going to buy beef and people aren’t going to work in their plant.

“We’re not on strike and we’re not asking people not to go to work. We’re demanding that the plant be safe.

“There are some ongoing talks, but right now Cargill is really bringing shame to Alberta — and Albertans are ashamed of what’s happening here,” he added, saying there are a “number of issues” that are being discussed.

“We’re not satisfied at all.”


READ MORE: Edmonton Filipino community rallies to bring groceries to quarantined meat-plant workers in High River
Hesse added that the union does “want the plant to operate” but said it should “not operate unless it’s safe.”

Hesse said a union representative was inside the plant on Monday morning to ask Occupational Health and Safety representatives in the plant to issue a stop work order.

“This plant should idle for a while longer until proper procedures and measures can be developed, implemented and put in force to keep people safe.”

On Monday, Cargill issued a statement clarifying that it resumed operations on Monday with two shifts.

“All employees who are healthy and eligible to work in our harvest department are asked to report to work. Fabrication shifts will resume on May 6,” Cargill said.

The company emphasized that employees coming to work should be healthy and not have had contact with anyone confirmed to have COVID-19 for 14 days.

“According to health officials, the majority of our employees remain healthy or have recovered,” Cargill stated. “We are grateful for our workers’ dedication and resilience as our plant and community walks through this heart-wrenching pandemic.”

Cargill added that AHS will be on site and they will conduct ongoing screening to safeguard employees and ensure no one exhibiting symptoms enters the facility.

“We care about our employees and this community. Our thoughts are with our friends and colleagues who have been impacted by the virus.”
 

Alberta expands COVID-19 symptoms eligible for testing

https://globalnews.ca/video/rd/9d19f5ba-8e55-11ea-962c-0242ac110003/?jwsource=cl

In her daily COVID-19 update Monday, Dr. Deena Hinshaw said there were 936 cases at the Cargill plant, 810 of whom have now recovered.

“I’ve heard stories of discrimination against newcomer families, with assumptions being made that any workers at Cargill and JBS and their families are a risk to others,” Alberta’s chief medical officer of health said. “People who are cases or close contacts will be supported by public health to self-isolate, but this is not required of all employees or families.

“When people are stigmatized or targeted, it blocks our collective ability to control the spread as people may fear getting tested or talking to public health,” Hinshaw stressed.

“We should be supporting people who are in this situation, not stigmatizing them."
CARGILL HIGH RIVER AB
POST MODERN SWEAT SHOP

She added that every single worker at outbreak sites are offered testing, whether they’re symptomatic or not.

Hinshaw said people who test positive for COVID-19 do not need a doctor’s note to return to work since public health officials are working closely with all cases and will provide guidance based on their individual isolation window.

When asked about the Cargill meat-processing plant by reporters on Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government is working with provinces to ensure worker safety is upheld.

“Though that is a provincial area of responsibility, the federal government has a role to play as well, particularly around ensuring there are adequate safeguards and PPEs (personal protective equipment) in place,” Trudeau explained.

“We will, of course, be there to support the provinces in (their) work to ensure both the continued flow of supply chains for food but also the protection of workers who could be vulnerable right across the country.”

RELATED NEWS

Coronavirus: Union calls for more protection for Alberta’s front-line food workers

‘Death is so real’: Immigrant group says meat workers afraid after COVID-19 plant closure

Alberta Labour offers details on probe looking into COVID-19 death linked to Cargill meat plant

Cargill plant shutdown does not mean COVID-19 risk is contained: High River mayor

Southern Alberta Filipino community ‘worried for our lives’ as members test positive for COVID-19

© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

AP wins feature photography Pulitzer for Kashmir coverage

Women shout slogans as Indian policemen fire teargas and live ammunition in the air to stop a protest march in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Aug. 9, 2019. The image was part of a series of photographs by Associated Press photographers which won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A masked Kashmiri protester jumps on the bonnet of an armored vehicle of Indian police as he throws stones at it during a protest in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, May 31, 2019. The image was part of a series of photographs by Associated Press photographers which won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Kashmiri Muslim devotees offer prayer outside the shrine of Sufi saint Sheikh Syed Abdul Qadir Jeelani in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Dec. 9, 2019. Hundreds of devotees gathered at the shrine for the 11-day festival that marks the death anniversary of the Sufi saint. The image was part of a series of photographs by Associated Press photographers which won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Kashmiri men shout freedom slogans during a protest against New Delhi's tightened grip on the disputed region, after Friday prayers on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Aug. 23, 2019. The image was part of a series of photographs by Associated Press photographers which won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)


Masked Kashmiris shout slogans during a protest after Friday prayers on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Oct. 4, 2019. The image was part of a series of photographs by Associated Press photographers which won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Anand said the award left him speechless.

“I was shocked and could not believe it,” he said, calling the prize-winning photos a continuation of the work he’s been doing for 20 years with the AP.

“This honor continues AP’s great tradition of award-winning photography,” said AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt. “Thanks to the team inside Kashmir, the world was able to witness a dramatic escalation of the long struggle over the region’s independence. Their work was important and superb.

Full Coverage: Photography

In a year when protests arose across the globe, AP photographers Dieu-Nalio Chery and Rebecca Blackwell were Pulitzer finalists for the breaking news photography award for their coverage of violent clashes between police and anti-government demonstrators in Haiti.

Bullet fragments hit Chery in the jaw while he documented the unrest. He kept taking pictures, including images of the fragments that hit him.

“All five of these photographers made remarkable, stunning images despite dangerous and challenging conditions, sometimes at great personal risk,” said AP Director of Photography David Ake. “Their dedication to getting up every morning and going out to tell the story is a testament to their tenacity. The result of their work is compelling photojournalism that grabbed the world’s attention.”

AP Executive Editor Sally Buzbee called the Kashmir prize “a testament to the skill, bravery, ingenuity and teamwork of Dar, Mukhtar, Channi and their colleagues” and lauded the recognition of Chery’s and Blackwell’s “brave and arresting work” in Haiti while many journalism outlets were focused elsewhere.

“At a time when AP’s journalism is of more value than ever to the world, these journalists’ courage and compelling storytelling show the absolute best of what we do,” Buzbee said.

The honor for the photographers is the AP’s 54th Pulitzer Prize.

Conflict has flared for decades in Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan area that is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both.

The tension hit a new turning point in August, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist-led government stripped Indian-controlled portions of Kashmir of their semi-autonomy.

India said the moves were needed to forestall protests and attacks by rebels seeking independence or Pakistani control for the region. Thousands of people were arrested.

With communications shut down, AP journalists had to find out about protests and other news by finding them in person. Khan and Yasin took turns roving the streets in and around the regional capital of Srinagar, Yasin said, facing mistrust from both protesters and troops. The journalists were unable for days to go home or even let their families know they were OK.

“It was very hard,” Khan said, but “we managed to file pictures.”

After spotting luggage-toting people walking toward the airport, he said, the photographers decided to ask travelers to serve as couriers. Yasin also recalled how a relative of his, who was also a photojournalist, had told him about delivering film to New Delhi in person as the conflict in Kashmir raged in the 1990s.India poured more troops into the already heavily militarized area, imposed a curfew and harsh curbs on civil rights, laced the area with razor-wire roadblocks, and cut off internet, cellphone, landline and cable TV service.

STILL UNDER INDIAN OCCUPATION DESPITE BEING A UN ENCLAVE

#FREEKASHMIR  #KASHMIR IS #INDIA  'S #GAZA

So the AP photographers went to the Srinagar airport and sought out strangers willing to carry memory cards and flash drives to New Delhi and call AP after landing in the Indian capital.

Some flyers declined, fearing trouble with the authorities, Yasin said. But others said yes and followed through. Most of the memory cards and drives arrived.

All three photographers were born in the semi-autonomous Indian region of Jammu and Kashmir, and Yasin says their prize-winning work has both professional and personal meaning to him.

“It’s not the story of the people I am shooting, only, but it’s my story,” he said. “It’s a great honor to be in the list of Pulitzer winners and to share my story with the world.”

TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS GO HERE 

https://apnews.com/366a717b2c1b9a677fcbd533e9b225c2

‘Riveting’ coverage of Alaska policing wins Pulitzer Prize

1 of 8

In a photograph of a computer screen during a staff Zoom call reporter Kyle Hopkins, bottom, and other staff members of the Anchorage Daily News receive word of the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service on Monday, May 4, 2020 in Anchorage. Hopkins was the lead reporter on a series of stories that looked at failures in the criminal justice system in rural Alaska. (Marc Lester/Anchorage Daily News via AP)


NEW YORK (AP) — The Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica won the Pulitzer Prize in public service Monday for illuminating the sparse policing of remote Alaskan villages, as a delayed awards ceremony recognized writing, photos and — for the first time — audio reporting on topics ranging from climate change to the legacy of slavery.

The public service winners contacted 600 village, tribal and other local governments and traveled by plane, sled and snowmobile to reveal that a third of rural Alaska communities had no local police protection, among other findings.

The “riveting” series spurred legislative changes and an influx of spending, the judges noted in an announcement postponed several weeks and held online because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’re humbled by the recognition, but the stories put a bright light on serious problems in Alaska that have needed attention for a long time,” Daily News Editor David Hulen said. “In some ways, we’re just getting started.”

The New York Times won the investigative reporting prize for an expose of predatory lending in the New York City taxi industry and also took the international reporting award for what the judges called “enthralling stories, reported at great risk,” about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government.

The Times also was awarded the commentary prize for an essay that Nikole Hannah-Jones wrote as part of the paper’s ambitious 1619 Project, which followed the throughlines of slavery in American life to this day.

Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet told the staff — in a virtual meeting — that this year’s prizes were “particularly meaningful because they come as we are managing our lives under great difficulty even as we produce great journalism.”

The Washington Post’s work on global warming was recognized for explanatory reporting. The newspaper tracked nearly 170 years of temperature records to show that 10% of the planet’s surface has already exceeded a rise of 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial times, the threshold world leaders have agreed they’d try not to exceed.

In a development that recognized how podcasting has brought new attention to reporting aimed at listeners rather than readers or viewers, a first-ever award for audio reporting went to “This American Life,” the Los Angeles Times and Vice News for “The Out Crowd,” an examination of the Trump administration’s “remain in Mexico” immigration policy.

In another prize for the Los Angeles Times, Christopher Knight won the criticism award for what the judges called “extraordinary community service by a critic” in examining a proposal to overhaul of the L.A. County Museum of Art.

The staff of The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Kentucky, took the breaking news reporting award for unpacking racial disparities and other issues in a spate of governor’s pardons.

Two different projects won the national reporting award: ProPublica’s look at deadly accidents in the U.S. Navy and The Seattle Times’ examination of design flaws in the troubled Boeing 737 MAX jet.

ProPublica Managing Editor Robin Fields said its reporting “laid bare the avoidance of responsibility by the military’s most senior leaders.”

The local reporting award went to The Baltimore Sun for shedding light on a previously undisclosed financial relationship between the mayor and the public hospital system, which she helped oversee.

The New Yorker took the feature reporting prize for Ben Taub’s piece on a detainee at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. New Yorker contributor Barry Blitt got the editorial cartooning award for work that “skewers the personalities and policies emanating from the Trump White House,” as the judges saw it.

The Associated Press won the feature photography prize for images made during India’s clampdown on Kashmir, where a sweeping curfew and shutdowns of phone and internet service added to the challenges of showing the world what was happening in the region.

AP photographers Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan and Channi Anand snaked around roadblocks, sometimes took cover in strangers’ homes and hid cameras in vegetable bags to capture images of protests, police and paramilitary action and daily life. Then they headed to an airport to persuade travelers to carry the photo files out with them and get them to the AP’s office in New Delhi.

“These journalists’ courage and compelling storytelling show the absolute best of what we do,” AP Executive Editor Sally Buzbee said.

Reuters won the breaking news photography award for its coverage of protests that shook Hong Kong. Editor-in-Chief Stephen Adler said the photos “brilliantly captured the magnitude of the protests.”

While big outlets and collaborations got plenty of recognition, the small Palestine Herald-Press, in East Texas, got a Pulitzer of its own, for Jeffery Gerritt’s editorials on the deaths of jail inmates awaiting trial. Judges said Gerritt “courageously took on the local sheriff and judicial establishment, which tried to cover up these needless tragedies.”

In the arts categories, Michael R. Jackson’s musical “A Strange Loop,” about a man trying to write a musical, won the drama prize. And Colson Whitehead’s “The Nickel Boys” won the fiction prize; he also won in 2017 for “The Underground Railroad.”

The Pulitzer board also issued a special citation Monday to the trailblazing African American journalist and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells, noting “her outstanding and courageous reporting” on lynchings.

Wells was a journalist and publisher in the late 1800s and later helped found civil rights and women’s suffrage groups; she died in 1931. The board said the citation comes with a bequest of at least $50,000 in support of Wells’ mission, with recipients to be announced.

The initial Pulitzer ceremony, which had been scheduled for April 20, was pushed to give Pulitzer Board members who were busy covering the pandemic more time to evaluate the finalists.

The awards luncheon, traditionally held at Columbia University in May, will be postponed. Plans are coming for a fall celebration.

The Pulitzer Prizes in journalism were first awarded in 1917 and are considered the field’s most prestigious honor in the U.S.

___

Associated Press writer Deepti Hajela contributed to this report.

Alaska’s largest newspaper wins Pulitzer Prize

By BECKY BOHRER 5/4/2020

Anchorage Daily News reporter Kyle Hopkins and his wife KTUU anchor Rebecca Palsha react while sitting in an empty newsroom during the COVID-19 pandemic to the announcement that the Anchorage Daily News was awarded the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in Journalism on Monday, May 4, 2020. (Bill Roth/Anchorage Daily News via AP


JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska’s largest newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize in public service Monday for its work examining law enforcement in rural communities, a feat coming less than three years after the outlet was rescued from the brink of financial collapse.

This is the third such award won by the Anchorage Daily News. The award announced Monday was won in collaboration with ProPublica for “a riveting series that revealed a third of Alaska’s villages had no police protection, took authorities to task for decades of neglect, and spurred an influx of money and legislative changes,” according to the announcement.


Anchorage Daily News Editor David Hulen said the series “called attention to some really serious problems in Alaska that have needed attention for a long time.”

“There’s more to be done,” he said. “We’re going to continue working on this.”

Anchorage Daily News President and CEO Ryan Binkley said the announcement was watched by staff via video conference, a nod to the fact that many are working remotely due to coronavirus concerns.

“This should be a time of being with each other in person and popping champagne corks, and of course we can’t do that these days,” he said, adding later: “We’ve just been receiving all sorts of congratulations from around the country today, which is kind of surreal, actually, considering where we were three years ago.”

Alice Rogoff backed the online Alaska Dispatch before buying in 2014 the Anchorage Daily News, which was rebranded as the Alaska Dispatch News. In 2017, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

A federal bankruptcy judge in September 2017 approved its sale for $1 million, calling it a better option than liquidation. Binkley, his two brothers and his sister became the new owners. The name was changed back to the Anchorage Daily News.

“We came very close to not existing after the newspaper went into Chapter 11, but it never stopped,” Hulen said of the outlet’s work.

He said the newsroom’s size is much smaller than it was at its peak and the paper has found ways to adapt, including forging partnerships like the one with ProPublica.

He said the Anchorage Daily News would not have been able to pull off the depth of reporting in the Pulitzer-winning series had it not been for that partnership.

Pentagon: Reports of sexual assault in military increased 3 percent in 2019OLD BOYS CLUB FOR MISOGYNIST DEVIANTS LIKE SENATOR GRAHAM

U.S. Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, assigned to the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command 19.2. Photo by Sgt. Kyle C. Talbot/U.S. Marine Corps/UPI | License Photo
April 30 (UPI) -- Reports of sexual assault in the military grew by 3 percent last year, the Pentagon said Thursday.

The Department of Defense said in its Congress-mandated report on sexual assault published Thursday that the military received 7,825 reports of sexual assault involving service members in fiscal year 2019 compared to 7,623 reports it received the year prior.

Of those reports, 937 were submitted by U.S. civilians and foreign nationals who accused service members of sexual assault, which the military defines as rape, forcible sodomy, aggravated sexual contact, abusive sexual contact, sexual assault and attempts to commit these offenses.

A total of 652 reports were also submitted from service members for sexual assault that occurred prior to military service, it said.

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The 25-page report stipulated that it cannot describe the 3 percent hike as an increase in victims of sexual assault coming forward or an increase in sexual assaults as a prevalence survey was not conducted this year.

However, Nate Galbreath, acting director of the department's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, told reporters Thursday that he's "cautiously optimistic that it's good news" though he can't say for sure.

"Addressing sexual assault is really one of the most challenging topics that we face in the military but it's so critical we get this right," he said. "We are really aware of the high cost of not succeeding in this."

Of the Pentagon's services, the Air Force experienced the highest increase of 9 percent with a record 1,683 reports of sexual assault in 2019 compared to 1,544 reports last year.

The Army saw the lowest increase of 2 percent with 3,219 reports in 2019 compared to 3,155 in 2018 while the Marine Corps was the only service to show a drop in reporting at about 6 percent.
"Our work to eliminate sexual assault reflects our ongoing commitment to advance a culture of trust, respect and inclusion within the force," said Elizabeth Van Winkle, executive director of the Office of Force Resiliency, in a statement. "We are acutely aware of the high cost of not succeeding, not only for the readiness of our country's defense but for the individual Americans who step forward and volunteer to serve our nation."

American Education Secretary 

& BILLIONAIRE PRIVATE SCHOOLING PROPONENT

DeVos sued over seizure of student loan borrowers' wages

U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos stands during a press briefing on March 27, 2020. She and the Education Department are targets of a class action lawsuit, filed on Friday, charging her with illegally seizing student loan borrowers' wages in violation of the CARES Act. File Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI | License Photo

May 1 (UPI) -- The Department of Education and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos face a class-action lawsuit demanding a stop to garnishment of student borrowers' wages.

The suit was filed late Thursday in District of Columbia federal court on behalf of borrowers whose paychecks continue to be garnished for student loans, a violation of the CARES Act. The law, signed by President Donald Trump on March 27, is the $2 trillion economic relief package protecting Americans from the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19, and prohibits garnishment of wages of student borrowers through Sept. 30, 2020.

The organizations Student Defense and the National Consumer Law Center filed the lawsuit on behalf of about 285,000 people who have had wages garnished. The lead plaintiff is Elizabeth Barber, who works as a home health aide near Rochester, N.Y.

"During the pandemic she has seen her weekly schedule reduced by 10 to 15 hours, greatly adding to her financial strain," a NCLC statement on Friday said. "Ms. Barber has had to leave bills unpaid in order to cover her basic needs... [while] the Department has continued to garnish her paychecks through the pandemic. The very purpose of the CARES Act is to provide immediate emergency relief to Americans, like Elizabeth, suffering the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic."

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The NCLC added that Barber earns $12.89 per hour caring for cerebral palsy patients, with about 12 percent taken to pay for her default on about $10,000 in student loans. It added that her work hours have recently been reduced.

"With the President at her side, Secretary DeVos promised in March that she had stopped federal wage garnishments altogether, which is what the CARES Act requires," said Alex Elson of Student Defense. "The truth is, she keeps on taking wages from the paychecks of Americans struggling to make ends meet. We sued to make her stop."

As of April 21, the Education Department had yet to send letters requesting that employers stop garnishing the pay of student loan borrowers in default. In April, a group of 10 congressional Democrats led by Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., expressed concern that the Education Department has not fully acted on the requirement to stop wage garnishment.

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"This is simply unconscionable... we request the Administration promptly issue new guidance halting all involuntary collections effective immediately and provide a clear timeline for refunds to borrowers" they wrote in an April 16 letter to DeVos and to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Analysis: More black Africans die of COVID-19 than white Britons
By
Danielle Haynes
(0)

The street near the British Parliament is empty March 27. 

A new analysis indicates racial minorities are more likely

 to die than white Britons from coronavirus. 

File Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo

May 1 (UPI) -- Black Africans are nearly four times as likely to die from the novel coronavirus in Britain than white Britons, an analysis released Friday indicates.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies said the ethnic black African death rate from the virus is 3.7 times as high as that of white Britons. Overall, all racial minority groups are dying at a higher rate than white Britons.

"After stripping out the role of age and geography, Bangladeshi hospital fatalities are twice those of the white British group, Pakistani deaths are 2.9 times as high and black African deaths 3.7 times as high," the IFS said.

"The Indian, black Caribbean and 'other white' ethnic groups also have excess fatalities, with the white Irish group the only one to have fewer fatalities than white British."y

The IFS said that though the elderly have higher death rates with COVID-19, most minority communities in Britain are younger than the overall population, "which should make them less vulnerable." Many ethnic minorities live in larger population centers, such as London and Birmingham, where there are higher rates of the disease.

The analysis said that occupational exposure may explain the disproportionate death rates for some minority groups. According to the IFS, more than two in 10 black African women of working age are employed in the health and social care industries. And Indian men are 150 percent more likely to work in those industries than white counterparts.

Underlying health conditions also are likely a factor, with Bangladeshis over the age of 60 more than 60 percent more likely to have long-term health conditions compared to their white counterparts

Minority groups, meanwhile, are more economically vulnerable, meaning they're more likely to be exposed to the virus in the labor market.

CDC: Nearly 5,000 workers at meat processing plants diagnosed with COVID-19

With cases of COVID-19 rising among employees at meat processing facilities, fears are rising about the pandemic's threat to the food supply chain. Photo by Fred Lehmann/Pixabay


May 1 (UPI) -- Nearly 5,000 workers in 115 meat processing workers across 19 states have been diagnosed with COVID-19, according to figures released Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cases of the disease, caused by the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, were reported between April 9 and 27, the CDC said, and account for roughly 3 percent of all workers at the impacted facilities. To date, 20 of the workers have died from the virus.
POST MODERN SWEAT SHOP

CARGILL PLANT, BROOKS, ALBERTA

ONE DEATH, CURRENTLY OPEN AND OPERATING

AS OF MAY 4TH


The agency also noted, however, that the list is not comprehensive. Facilities in at least four additional states reported one or more confirmed cases of the virus, but did not submit data in time to be included in the analysis.

In addition to the financial implications of people not working, virus spread at meat processing facilities has already impacted supplies across the country.

To combat potential shortages, President Donald Trump earlier this week signed an executive order under the Defense Production Act, ordering meat processing facilities to remain open during the pandemic.

 

Last week, Tyson Foods suspended operations at its Waterloo, Iowa, plant after almost 200 out of 2,800 workers tested positive for COVID-I9. The company is among more than a dozen meat plants that have closed since the start of the pandemic.

"I think one of the questions, and we don't have an answer, is -- what will be the impact on the food supply?" Dr. Leonard Marcus, co-director of the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said on a conference call with reporters this week.

Marcus, who is also director of the Program for Health Care Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at Harvard, said that since food going to urban areas comes from rural areas, there are inherent risks to the food chain.

"If those rural areas were not as careful about the physical distancing, were not as quick jumping into areas where there were cases," he said, "what's that going to mean nationally in terms of the food chain?"

Experts have said that, at least to date, there's no evidence that livestock and poultry -- the animals being processed at these facilities -- are at risk for COVID-19.

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Blue Bell to pay $19.35M over deadly listeria outbreak

Blue Bell's former president, Paul Kruse, faces charges accusing him of covering up the listeria outbreak. 
File Photo by Gary C. Caskey/UPI | License Photo

May 1 (UPI) -- Blue Bell Creamery has agreed to pay a $19.35 million settlement and plead guilty to charges it shipped ice cream contaminated with listeria, which led to three deaths in 2015, the Justice Department announced Friday.

The settlement is the second-largest fine paid to settle a food-safety issue.

"American consumers rely on food manufacturers to take necessary steps to provide products that are safe to eat," said Jody Hunt, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Civil Division.

The Brenham, Texas,-based company pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of distributing adulterated ice cream products, resulting in a $17.25 million fine. It paid another $2.1 million fine to resolve allegations the company violated the False Claims Act.

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In addition to the company's settlement, the Justice Department levied charges against the former Blue Bell President Paul Kruse, accusing him of covering up the contamination. Federal prosecutors said he deceived certain Blue Bell customers after he learned about the listeria contamination.

"Kruse specifically is asserted to have directed other Blue Bell employees to remove potentially contaminated products from store freezers without notifying retailers or consumers about the real reason for the withdrawal," the Justice Department said.

"Kruse also is alleged to have directed employees to tell customers who asked why products were removed that there had been an unspecified issue with a manufacturing machine instead of that samples of the products had tested positive for listeria."

Blue Bell released a statement saying it "should have handled many things differently and better."

"Today we are a new, different and better Blue Bell. Our agreement with the government involves events that took place five years ago before we shut down and revamped our production facilities and procedures."

In 2015, Blue Bell recalled all of its products after three people died and several were sickened following a listeria outbreak. The company temporarily shut down operations and laid off a third of its workforce.